Halloween
by L Moonshade
Summary: The youngest Bartlet daughter OC goes to visit a friend on Halloween. A friend who happens to live in Sunnydale, CA.
1. Prologue

A/N Yeah, I know. I've got other stories I should be working on, but this little plot bunny jumped up and attacked me, and wouldn't let me go until I wrote it. I don't plan on continuing this story, but I had so much fun writing it, I had to share. So, I hope you enjoy! As always, reviews are welcome. 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Jade Bartlet. Had to create her. Somehow, I just couldn't see this happening to any of the other Bartlet daughters. Everything else belongs to other people, primarily Whedon and Sorkin.

Prologue

Josiah Bartlet, President of the United States, stormed into the White House Residence. "Can you believe what Jade wants to do, now?" he almost shouted.

Abby frowned at her husband, not understanding this outburst. Their youngest daughter wasn't known for the types of stunts their other daughters had pulled.

"If it's Jade, it can't be that bad."

Bartlet paced the room. "She wants to go to Sunnydale! On her own!"

"Sunnydale? I've never heard of it."

"It's a small town a few hours south of L A. There's nothing there, and she wants to go!"

"There must be something there, if she's asking."

Bartlet paused. "Rupert Giles," he said, resigned.

"That nice British man who came to talk to you about…What was it he talked to you about?" Abby said sweetly.

"Kids on PCP. Yes, that Giles."

"The one who helped Jade with her history?" she said even more sweetly.

"Yes, that Giles."

Sweetest yet, "The one who still exchanges letters with her…"

"Yes, damnit, that Giles! She wants to visit him!"

"Let her go, Jed. It's not that far. Or, do you not trust Mr. Giles? He seemed like a nice enough man."

Bartlet heaved a sigh. "No, I trust him. But, Abby, there are reasons…" He trailed off.

"What kind of reasons?"

He paused a moment, then began pacing again. "I can't tell you."

"Why? National Security?" the First Lady snarked. "In a little place like Sunnydale? No, Jed, I don't believe it for a minute. Let her go."

"Not without us…"

"She can have a Secret Service Agent. Honestly, Jed, she's old enough. Zoe's in college, and Jade's only a couple of years younger. Let her have some freedom."

"She's still just a baby," Bartlet grumped.

Abby Bartlet hid a smile; when he sounded like that, she'd won. "Of course she is," she said gently.

"I won't trust Jade with anyone but Ron."

This time, Abby did smile. "I'll talk to him, now."


	2. 1

****

Chapter 1

Jade was glad she'd gotten here after the school day had started. It would be bad enough walking into the building with Ron behind her, but pulling up in the limo while the students were waiting to get in…That would have been too embarrassing. But, at least she was here.

"Can you look any more conspicuous?" she grumbled, getting out of the car.

"Sorry, Ma'am," was Ron Butterfield's only reply. Normally, he didn't like covering teens—they tended to be too unpredictable—but he didn't mind so much with Jade. The youngest of the Bartlet children, she tended to be even-tempered, and actually listened when her agents had something to say. Of all the Bartlet children, she was most like her father, headstrong, but willing to pick her battles and let the small things go.

"Yeah, I know. Just, it's like, 90 degrees out here, and you're in that suit. I'm warm just looking at you."

"Sorry, Ma'am."

Jade snorted as they made their way up to the school doors. "You could at least banter with me. No, no," she said, holding up a hand to stop him from answering. "I know. 'Sorry, Ma'am.'"

Ron let the barest hint of a smile show. "You're learning. Ma'am."

Jade hid her own smile. She tried to get on well with all her agents; they had a tough job, and she never wanted to be difficult. Most agents were willing to at least talk to her and exchange the occasional joke, now and then. But, this was the first joke Ron had made. She felt a small amount of triumph in that.

"Can I help…Jade? Good Lord, what are you doing here?"

Jade turned to the British voice and grinned. "Hey, Giles. Mom and Dad are in L A, so I came down to visit you."

Giles smiled. "That's a wonderful gesture, and I appreciate it, greatly. But, you really shouldn't be here."

"A small town like this? What could happen?"

Giles heaved a sigh. "You'd be surprised."

A few minutes later, they were in the high school's library, sharing a cup of tea. Ron sat close, trying to go unnoticed. Jade ignored him, but she'd had long practice. Giles had a more difficult time; he kept glancing at the agent.

"I am glad to see you," Giles said. "I've enjoyed our letters."

"Thanks. So have I. So. How's the new principal?"

"Snyder? He's a terror…Oh, hello."

This last was aimed at three students who had come in, two girls and a boy. They'd come through the doors laughing and joking loudly, but stopped dead when they saw that Giles had visitors.

"Okay, he just looks scary," the boy said, looking at Ron. Then, to Jade, "And you look good. I'm Xander Harris. Are you a new student?"

"It's nice to meet you and, no, I'm just here for a couple of days, visiting Giles. Jade Bartlett. You can ignore the scary-looking guy, he's used to it."

Xander's jaw dropped, while the girls glanced at each other, enjoying his discomfort. "So, you mean, if I came over and shook your hand…"

"He wouldn't make a move. Try and cop a feel, however, and you're on the floor with a size 12 shoe in your face. Possibly a Glock, if you have any weapons."

"Yeah. I'll just keep my distance, shall I?" Xander said, taking a seat as far away from both Jade and Ron as he could.

The blonde girl laughed. "Sorry about him. Hi, it's nice to meet you," she said, approaching with a hand out. "I'm Buffy Summers."

Jade took the hand. "Pleasure." She glanced at the redhead, who was hanging back. "And you are…?"

"Eep!" the girl said.

"Willow!" Buffy laughed. "She's a little shy; she's a huge fan of your father's. That's Willow Rosenberg."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Actually, Willow, Jade is quite adept with the…erm…dread machines."

"Wow, that's awfully British, Giles."

He fixed Jade with a glare. "Imagine that," he said dryly.

"Wow, Giles, you made a joke," Willow said, warming up. "He means computers. Do you know much about them?"

Jade grinned. "Just a little. I've already gotten into the Treasury Department, and…" She paused, realizing who she was saying that in front of. She turned her gaze to her agent. "Aw, hell. Ron…?"

"We already know, Ma'am."

Jade fixed him with a hard gaze, trying to decide whether or not he was joking. The look in his eye convinced her he wasn't. She looked back to Willow and shrugged.

"Well. I guess I'm not quite as good as I thought."

Willow giggled, Jade grinned, and Xander and Buffy shook their heads.

"Geeks," Buffy sighed.

"They're everywhere."

"Yeah, and I'm not even as bad as my Dad."

"So, Ms…" Buffy began.

Jade interrupted her. "Please, call me Jade."

"Jade. Aren't your parents in L A?"

"Yep. That's the only way I convinced Dad to let me come down here. Baby of the family and all; he tends to be a little overprotective."

"I can only imagine. Giles, do you have any…errands you need us to do?"

"Not tonight, Buffy, you're free to go."

"Great. C'mon guys."

Jade stood. "I should go, too, get checked into the hotel and find some food."

"We can walk you out," Willow said quickly, then blushed, afraid she'd gone too far.

Jade smiled, reassuring her. "Thanks. Giles, are you free for dinner, tonight?"

"Erm, no, I'm afraid not. I have…" He paused, unsure of what excuse to make.

Jade was already waving the thought away, though. "Don't worry about it, I'm the one who showed up unannounced." She dug out a piece of paper and wrote a number on it. "My cell phone, I've always got it on me. Give me a call, tomorrow, and we'll set something up, if you're free."

Giles smiled warmly. "I'll make time, I promise. It's good to see you, Jade."

"And you."

She walked with the three out of the library, Ron trailing along close behind. "So, what do you do for fun on Halloween?"

"Nothing," Buffy said with what sounded to Jade like extreme relief. "Around here, it's a nice, quiet…"

"Juvenile delinquent's holiday," a voice said. Someone, a horrid little rat-like man, stuck a pen and clipboard under Buffy's nose. "You're volunteering to take a group of the younger kids trick-r-treating tonight. Something to keep you from causing untold mayhem."

Buffy whimpered, but the man—Snyder, Jade guessed—glared at her. She took pen and clipboard and signed her name, even as Snyder held out three more pens. Xander and Willow each took one and signed, but Jade didn't.

"You, too, Missy. I don't know who you think you are…"

"Oh, Mr. Snyder, where are my manners?" Buffy said in mock politeness. "This is a friend of Mr. Giles, who's visiting from Washington D. C. Jade, this is our principal, Mr. Snyder. Mr. Snyder, Jade Bartlett."

Snyder scoffed. "Right. And I'm…"

"Ma'am," Ron said, leaning over and speaking to Jade in a stage whisper. "It's getting too crowded, Ma'am. We really should go."

"Sorry, but you know how it is. Secret Service Agents get grumpy when I don't listen to them, then they talk to my dad, and he gets really grumpy, and you don't want a man grumpy when he controls the largest military in the world. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Snyder."

Snyder was caught speechless and the kids took the opportunity to escape. Once outside, they burst out laughing.

"Did you see his face?"

"Thanks, Ron. You were wonderful."

"You're welcome, Ma'am."

"Well," Buffy sighed. "There goes my night of doing nothing."

Jade looked up at Ron. He thought a minute, then nodded. Jade looked back at the trio.

"Let me go with you. I love Halloween, and I don't have anything else to do."

"Really? Sure. Do you have a costume?"

"Nope."

"Neither do we."

"There's that new place that opened up. It's the only thing within walking distance."

"Is walking an option?" Jade asked.

Ron nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Great. Let's go."

They talked and joked as they made their way down the street. The store was closest to Buffy's house, so they stopped there long enough for the school kids to drop off their backpacks, then went to the costume store.

Outside, Xander paused with his hand on the door. "One condition. Mr. Scary wears a costume, too."

Ron shook his head. "No," he said firmly.

"Ron disclosed on the way down that he doesn't do Halloween," Jade sighed. "I've been trying to get him to change his mind."

"Come on, Xander. Let's go."

They stepped inside. Between the lack of other customers and the picked-over look of the merchandise, it seemed that most everyone else had already gotten their costumes. The four kids split up, Jade going over to the back, where they had a selection of Science Fiction costumes. She was looking for something for herself, when she spotted a small metal cylinder, about the size of a large marker. She paused, then turned to Ron.

"Ron, you've got a pair of sunglasses, right?"

"Ma'am?"

"Yes or no."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Jade grinned. "Good." She kept hold of the object and continued to look for her own costume.

"Can I help you find something in particular?"

Jade glanced up at the sound of the British voice to see a tall, slim, dark-haired man. "Well, I was hoping to go as a Jedi, but it looks like there's only kid costumes left."

"A Jedi…Wait right here. I may have just the thing for you."

He went into the back room, coming out a moment later with a bag-covered garment on a hangar. He lifted the bag to reveal a Jedi outfit, complete with boots, robes, and lightsaber.

"How about this? It looks like a perfect fit."

Jade grinned. "That is fantastic!"

"We aim to please. Will there be anything else?"

Jade's him the other item. "No. I'll take this, too."

The man glanced at what she held, then at Ron, and grinned broadly. "Perfect."


	3. 2

****

Chapter 2

Jade was the last one to return to Buffy's house. It took her a while to figure out how to work the Jedi robes, then the lightsaber and hilt (she wanted to be able to draw it and look like she knew what she was doing), then even longer to convince Ron to go with her idea. Finally, though, he relented and they left the hotel, Jade wearing her costume, Ron wearing his sunglasses, the cylinder in his breast pocket.

When she knocked, Buffy opened the door. She was dressed as an 18th Century noblewoman, complete with black wig. She came out with Xander, a soldier, and Willow, a ghost.

"Wow, that is an awesome costume," Xander said. "You look really good." He glanced over at Ron. "Sunglasses? Is it that bright, or is that part of your costume?"

Jade grinned. "My idea. Show them, Ron."

Ron heaved a long-suffering sigh and, revising his opinion of the pros of this particular assignment, drew the cylinder out of his pocket. Buffy frowned.

"What is it?"

Willow giggled. "Is that what I think it is?"

Jade grinned. "Yep. It's a neuralyzer. He's one of the Men in Black."

The group burst out laughing. Ron heaved a sigh, putting the prop back in his pocket. "They do not pay me enough for this," he muttered.

Jade laughed. "At least it's not going to interfere with your duties."

"I wouldn't let it, Ma'am. The glasses come off after dark."

"We should be done by then," Buffy soothed. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

Jade and Ron went with Willow. Jade figured that, with Willow's nervousness, she could use the extra help and, in any case, Jade wanted to talk Star Wars, and Willow was the acknowledged Star Wars geek of the group. The kids were good and they were able to get into a fairly in-depth conversation. To Ron's surprise, he was a huge hit; the kids commented on his costume as much as they did Jade's.

"Finally, it's time to go," Willow said, glancing at her watch. They were waiting for the kids to get the candy from the last house. "I'm ready to take this off and relax."

"It's been fun, though. I…" Jade paused. Something was wrong, but she couldn't place her finger on what. It was like, she decided, something was pushing her to the back of her own mind, replacing it with…

"Ma'am? Are you all right?"

She turned to Ron, but couldn't answer. She wasn't herself, but she wasn't completely the other, yet, either. Ron ripped off his glasses, a look of deep concern on his face.

"Ma'am? Jade?"

He blinked and, even in the midst of her own transition, Jade could see something changing in his eyes. Then, she was fully supplanted by the Jedi Master Jor-Dan Kerr. Jade was aware of what was going on, but she wasn't in control. She could see Jor-Dan's memories, from the Jedi's entire life, even feel the Force flowing through her usurped body. Jor-Dan looked around in confusion; the last thing she remembered was watching as her fellow Jedi were cut down in the Geonosis Arena.

"All these aliens are violating their agreements! I'm going to be arresting half the populace, and neuralyzing everyone else."

Jade groaned, even as Jor-Dan turned to look at the speaker. Sure enough, Ron was there, sunglasses back on. His demeanor hadn't changed much, except to become even more stiff, if that were possible. Jor-Dan didn't know who it was, but Jade recognized Agent K's military rigidness and speech.

"Jade? Agent Butterfield?"

Jor-Dan turned to find Willow…and Willow. Willow in the ghost costume was lying on the ground; a quick check for a pulse confirmed her dead. Willow, dressed up as a tramp, however, was standing over the body.

"Who are you? And who is Agent Butterfield?"

"I'm Willow, you just met me today. And Agent Butterfield is…"

"If you'll just look here, Ma'am…"

"Oh, no. Look, shouldn't you wait until the crisis is contained before you neuralyze anyone?"

Agent K lowered the neuralyzer, a slight frown the only sign of his confusion. "You're right, of course. Who are you? And who is she?"

"I'm Willow, and she's a Jedi."

Jor-Dan stood. "Master Jor-Dan Kerr," the Jedi confirmed. "You have an odd presence in the Force."

"Yeah, I'm a ghost. But, you're not really Jor-Dan. You're Jade Bartlet."

Jor-Dan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

There was a scream. All three turned to look. Jade saw Buffy, running from a werewolf and two demons. As they watched, she tripped and fell.

"Oh, no! Buffy! And Xander! Look, I can explain everything, but we need to help them, first. See that house over there?"

Jor-Dan and K followed Willow's finger. "Yes."

"Get that girl and meet me there. Once we're safe inside, I'll explain."

Jor-Dan studied Willow, at the same time testing the Force. After a second's contemplation, she nodded.

"All right. C'mon…What's your name, anyhow?"

"Call me K."

"Right. Let's go."

"Oh, and don't hurt anyone!" Willow called after them, seeing Jor-Dan draw her lightsaber. To her great relief, the Jedi put it away.

With a wave, Jor-Dan sent the demons flying. Another wave and the Force pushed the werewolf out of the way.

"Come on, Ma'am," K said, helping Buffy off the ground. "Let's get you to a safe place."

They were on their way, when Jade heard a series of loud, fast pops.

"Gunfire," K said.

"I don't know guns, but it sounds like a slug-thrower to me. Get the girl inside," Jor-Dan told K. "I'm going to check that out."

She paused long enough to make sure that K was on his way, then, with a burst of Force-aided speed, was off towards the source of the noise, drawing her lightsaber, but not turning it on.

As Jade expected, they found Xander, the soldier, now with a real gun. Willow was there, trying to get him to put the gun down, even as monsters were running from the noise.

Just as Jor-Dan approached, Xander turned, gun still raised. Jor-Dan lit her saber and soldier-man, sensing a threat, fired his automatic weapon. Jade winced, expecting to feel bullets rip into her, but it didn't happen. Jor-Dan's speed and skill were a match for the bullets, and the lightsaber intercepted all of them.

"Xander, no! You can _not_ kill her!"

"Why not?" the soldier asked, though he was lowering his gun.

"That's the President's daughter."

"Are you talking about me?" Jor-Dan asked, deactivating her saber.

"Yes…Come on, let's get inside, so we can talk."

On the way, they collected another friend of theirs from school, Cordelia. As they ran into Buffy's house, Jor-Dan could see that Cordelia's cat costume had been ripped and torn. Once everyone was inside, Jor-Dan and Xander started barricading the door.

"What's going on?" Cordelia asked.

"You're not really a cat, you're a girl named Cordelia, who's wearing a costume…"

"Yeah, Willow, I know all that. Look at this! Party Town's never going to give me my deposit back."

This caught Jade's attention. The shop where they'd gotten their costumes had been called Ethan's, not Party Town. Cordelia hadn't become her costume, which meant…

"Who's she?"

"Jade Bartlet, that's her Secret Service Agent, Ron Butterfield, but they're a Jedi and one of the Men in Black," Willow said. "We've all become our costumes."

Jor-Dan frowned and cast her gaze about the room. She found a mirror and went to it. What she found shocked her.

"What's wrong?" the soldier asked.

"That ghost, Willow, she's right. This isn't my face."

"Or mine," K said, coming up behind her. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure." Jor-Dan turned to Willow. "You said we became our costumes. How?"

"I don't know. We all went to Ethan's and got our costumes…"

Jade cheered, knowing that Jor-Dan would make the same connection. "Wait a minute. Assuming for a moment that you're right, and I'm willing to bet that you are, we all got our costumes at the same place? This Ethan's?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Jor-Dan turned to Cordelia. "And you got yours at a place called Party Town?"

"I already said that, thank you."

"What are you thinking?" the soldier asked.

"That…" She paused, sensing something odd in the Force. "I think that something's coming."

"Is it a good something, or a bad something?" Willow asked.

Jor-Dan frowned. "Both."

"There's more than one?"

"No, only one."

Willow relaxed. "Oh, it must be Angel."

A moment later, a man came into the room. "Hey. Have you seen it outside? It's a madhouse."

Jor-Dan frowned. "You didn't tell me he was an Anzati."

"It's okay. That's Angel, a good guy. Hey, you sense the good in him, don't you?"

"What's going on? Who are you?"

"We've become our costumes. In real life that's the President's daughter and her bodyguard, but now she's a Jedi and he's Agent K."

"Oh. Who's Agent K?"

"Oh, never mind. Jor-Dan, you had an idea?"

"It would seem that Ethan's is the source. Only those of us who got costumes there actually became them."

"Wait. You've become your costume, and you know this?"

Jor-Dan turned back to Angel. "There's a duality to everyone Willow's pointed out, except her, and she's not quite herself, either. The face I see in the mirror is not my own, nor is his. I'm willing to accept that I'm not who I think I am."

"Are you saying I dress like…like that?" Buffy asked, pointing to Willow.

"No, I'm just saying you're not a noblewoman."

"I refuse to believe that! I'm not some…some…"

Jor-Dan sensed that Buffy was winding up for a long rant and went over to comfort her, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Relax," she said gently.

Buffy paused in mid-sentence, then crumpled. Angel caught her, then lay her on the sofa.

"Nice mind trick. You sure you didn't overdo it?"

"Nobles where I'm from aren't that weak willed," Jor-Dan said with a shrug. "I expected her to be harder to get through to. She's got a lot of power."

"That's Buffy, not what she is now," Willow said. "Look, I know someone who can help. I'm going to go talk to him. You four stay here and protect the girls—the ones who can't take care of themselves, I mean—and wait. Hopefully, it'll be over soon."

Cordelia snorted. "Who died and made her boss?" she huffed, even as Willow left through the wall.

"You seem really accepting of this whole thing," Xander told Jor-Dan.

The Jedi shrugged. "I can lift 10,000 kilos with my mind. I can control what other people think, and I felt it halfway across the galaxy when my master died. This isn't the most unusual thing that's ever happened to me, and there's pretty convincing evidence, as well. I may as well accept it."

"Yeah. Guess so."

"Hey. Where's Buffy?"

They all looked up to find the girl gone. Jor-Dan reached out with the Force and, after a moment, found her. "I can track her."

"Good. She's helpless out there."

"I'm staying here," Cordelia said. "I'm not going out there…"

"Fine," K said. "Just lock that door behind us."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Jor-Dan and Angel led the way, followed by Xander, then K. Once he'd stepped outside, K paused and turned around, putting his sunglasses on.

"Oh, and, Ma'am?"

"What now?" Cordelia whined, turning to look.

There was a flash of red light. "There were no monsters or aliens. You had a great time trick-r-treating, until your costume fell apart in the rain. You'll insist on getting your money back. You will have a good night." K removed his sunglasses, turned, and followed the others.

Jor-Dan followed the girl through the city and into a warehouse district. She walked along with her hood up, hands tucked into sleeves, but she wasn't as complacent as she seemed. Every sense was being stretched to its fullest. She'd grown up on Coruscant and, while she'd spent most of her early childhood in the Temple, her master had liked to cultivate contacts in the lowest levels of the city. She'd learned early on in her apprenticeship to stay on her guard.

"I found her," she said. Then, "There are a lot of things coming. Some of them are costumes, but some of them are like you," she said with a glance at Angel. "Just without the good part."

Angel found Buffy where she'd fallen in a pile of garbage. He picked her up, glancing ahead of them, every now and again.

"How close are they?"

"Run! It's Spike!" Willow yelled, running into view. Behind her came a peroxide blonde man, followed by a number of monsters.

"Extremely," Jor-Dan said.

"The five in front you can hurt!" Willow yelled as she passed Jor-Dan.

"Get the girl into that warehouse," Xander shouted. "We'll hold them off!"

Angel carried Buffy into the warehouse as Xander and K opened fire on the lead. It was soon apparent that the bullets weren't doing any good.

"Go. I'll slow them down."

"Right."

The two men left. Jor-Dan used the Force to pull garbage and refuse into the alley to slow them down. They waded through it like it was nothing.

"Get in here!" Angel called.

Jor-Dan paused but, without being able to hurt those in costume, there wasn't a whole lot she could do. She drew and lit her saber and locked it on, then threw it before running for the warehouse. The saber didn't hit anything, nor had she expected it to, but it made them pause long enough for her to dodge into the building before recalling her weapon.

"Lifting 10,000 kilos would be real good right about now!" Xander grunted as he and Angel started to barricade the door.

"There's nothing heavy enough to hold the door," Jor-Dan said.

It was too late, in any case. Spike and his cronies burst through the door. Two of the Anzati grabbed Jor-Dan and held her tight, after taking her lightsaber, two more held Angel. The costumes held the others, while Spike went for Buffy.

"Why her?" Jor-Dan hissed to Angel. "What's so special about her? What do I sense?"

"She's the Slayer. She kills vampires."

"Vampires?"

"Anzati," Willow hissed back. "You're a Jedi. Can't you do something?"

Jor-Dan didn't answer, just fell into a trance. The vampires holding her laughed, thinking she'd passed out. Far from it, she was reaching out through the Force to reach Buffy. Not the noblewoman, but Buffy. The power Jor-Dan had sensed flared to life at her merest touch.

Spike had the girl pinned and was ready to bite her. Suddenly she head-butted him, the wig falling off in the process.

"Honey, I'm home," Buffy said, grinning.

Jor-Dan used the Force to light the saber. The vampire holding it lost a hand as the blade ignited through his wrist, another as he tried to catch it when Jor-Dan called it to her. She jumped and grabbed it, coming down with a strike to his mid-section.

"The head!" Willow yelled.

Jor-Dan changed directions in mid-swing, turning the blade and slicing through the thing's neck. She changed direction again and drew the blade across the neck of the other vampire who'd been holding her. Two heads fell, two bodies turned to ash and dust.

"Duck!" she yelled

Angel did as he was told. The saber went flying through one vampire's neck, over Angel's head, and through the other vampire, before Jor-Dan recalled it. These bodies became ash, as well, the whole mess falling to the floor.

The lightsaber returned to Jor-Dan's hand, but it was no longer lit. It took her a moment to wonder, she'd locked it on, after all, but then she was gone, and Jade had returned.

"I want my mommy," one demon, now a little kid again, said.

"Spike got away," Buffy said, joining them.

"Well, at least everyone's all right. I guess it's over, then?" Xander said.

Jade nodded, but said nothing. Behind her, unnoticed to anyone else, a piece of rubbish moved, just a little bit.

"Ma'am?" Ron asked.

She looked up at him, saw the knowledge in his eyes. She nodded, then grinned.

"Sorry."

Ron dropped a hand on her shoulder as they followed the others out. "Remind me to ask your father for a raise. And another one, if he wants me to protect you again. Ma'am."

Jade laughed. "You know, I think you had a better sense of humor as K."


	4. Epilogue

****

Epilogue

"Let's see if I've got this straight. Buffy is the Vampire Slayer, who's duty it is to fight the things. You're her Watcher, you train her to deal with them. This is what your were briefing Dad on, not discussing kids on PCP. Willow, Xander, and sometimes Cordelia help out, though Cordelia isn't going to remember anything about last night." At this, Ron shot Jade a glare. "Sunnydale is on a Hellmouth, and an old friend of yours cast a spell to Janus to turn everyone who bought a costume at his shop into their costumes."

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Boiled down to it's most simplistic, yes. That's exactly it."

"Right, just so I know what's going on. You're not going to tell Dad about this, are you?"

Giles looked up sharply. "And have the man send the CIA after me? Good heavens, no!"

"Good. Then I won't, either. As far as he's concerned, nothing happened. As long as Ron is in agreement."

"Ma'am, there is nothing you could do to get me to admit that I actually wore a costume for Halloween."

Jade laughed. "Maybe K's humor really did rub off on you. Look, I've got to get going, Dad expects me back by dinner, tonight."

"Of course, of course. I'm glad we got to have breakfast. Even if we didn't quite stay off the subject."

She smiled. "Well, you know. Need to know basis."

"And, after last night, you both needed to know. I'm sorry you were dragged in to all of this."

"Don't be. I'm the one who came unannounced, after all. Just, next time, why don't you visit me?"

Giles grinned. "I'd be delighted."

He and Jade hugged, then she and Ron left. Once they were settled into the limo and on their way, Ron spoke.

"You didn't tell him."

"Need to know basis, and he doesn't. No one needs to, not yet. Not until I'm sure of the ramifications."

"What are you going to do?"

Jade wadded up a piece of paper, then floated the ball over her hand. "I'm going to practice. I remember all of it, her training, her missions, all of it. I'm also going to look for a couple of hard-to-find items."

Ron frowned. "What's that?"

"A really pure crystal, and a really small superconductor." She patted the prop lightsaber hilt she had in her jacket pocket. "Yes, indeed."

Ron's frown didn't fade. A Jedi in the White House? No, he really wasn't being paid enough for this job. Not enough, at all.


End file.
